by Malia Rulon Herman, Gannett Washington Bureau

by Malia Rulon Herman, Gannett Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - Superstorm Sandy rebuilding efforts along the Jersey Shore could be delayed if Congress doesn't pass a stopgap spending bill in time to avoid a government shutdown.

"Nature brought the storm, but the government shutdown will make the disaster worse," said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.

Tittel said a possible shutdown comes at the worst time, just as coastal communities are working on dredging, beach replenishment and other projects in advance of the winter storm season.

"What about the Army Corps of Engineers person who inspects beach projects? The (Housing and Urban Development) person who oversees the grant money? Without those people in those positions, it will slow down or stop those programs going forward," Tittel said.

The administration released detailed plans on Friday regarding which federal employees would continue to work during a shutdown.

Under those plans, anyone distributing money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief fund would remain on the job because the $6 billion fund is financed separately from the agency's annual appropriation.

But nearly all employees at HUD's Office of Community Planning and Development, which handles grants to cities and states for rebuilding, would be furloughed. Of the office's 749 staff members, only 13 would remain on the job.

"If a grantee for Hurricane Sandy has money in the system, they can continue to draw down on that," HUD spokesman Jerry Brown said. "Beyond that, there will be no new money loaded until the employees are back. For all essential purposes, that office will be closed."

It was unclear whether federal employees who work at the Small Business Administration and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also would be sent home. Both agencies are playing a critical role in rebuilding the Jersey Shore.

"It's a very grave concern," Democratic Rep. Rob Andrews of New Jersey told reporters Friday. "There are a lot of people involved in the processing of applications who will not be coming to work."

Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., wrote to the Office of Management and Budget on Thursday urging the administration to make sure employees working on Sandy-related rebuilding remain on the job if the government shuts down.

"Because of the multitude of federal agencies involved in processing requests and administering various forms of aid, I fear a government shutdown could harm our Sandy recovery efforts," he wrote.

As of Friday afternoon, Pascrell's office had not received any assurances from the White House, spokesman Thomas Pietrykoski said.

Fiscal 2014 begins at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. The House and Senate must pass a spending bill by then to avoid a shutdown.

According to the OMB, federal employees deemed "essential" would not be subject to furloughs, including most employees at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Prisons and the U.S. Marshals Service.

But government shutdown plans in effect as recently as 2011 - the last time a shutdown seemed imminent - indicate that passport offices, national parks and monuments, and local offices that process loans for homes, farms and small businesses would likely close.